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The Chocolate War & Beyond the Chocolate War Bind-up

The Chocolate War & Beyond the Chocolate War Bind-up

Summary

The head of Trinity College asks Archie Costello, the leader of The Vigils, a secret society that rules the school, to sell 20,000 boxes of chocolates in the annual fund-raising effort. Archie sees the chance of adding to his power but newcomer, Jerry Renault, refuses to sell them. Enormous mental and physical pressure is put on him but he will not give in – the result is an inevitable, explosive tragedy.

The story continues in Beyond the Chocolate War. As the school year closes, many students look forward to leaving but Carter and Obie, leading members of The Vigils, can't contemplate the future until they have destroyed Archie Costello.

Robert Cormier's hard-hitting novels make compulsive reading.

Reviews

  • The Chocolate War is uncompromising and unsentimental. It is doubtful, and finally irrelevant, whether Mr Cormier was writing for adolescents or for adults, any more than William Golding was concerned with a specific audience as he wrote Lord of the Flies, with which this novel stands comparison
    TES

About the author

Robert Cormier

Robert Cormier was a journalist and author, acclaimed for his young adult novels with their uncompromising examination of contemporary issues. His novels included the prize-winning THE CHOCOLATE WAR and I AM THE CHEESE. Robert Cormier lived all his life in Massachusetts, USA; he died in 2000 aged 75.
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